The Gaujot brothers, Antoine August Michel Gaujot and Julien E. Gaujot, are one of the five sets of brothers who have received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

and the only pair to have been so honored for actions in different actions. Both brothers attended

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six regi ...

, but neither were graduates of the university.

Early life and education

Antoine August Michel Gaujot was born on December 12, 1878, in

Eagle Harbor Township, Michigan Eagle Harbor Township is a civil township of Keweenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 308 at the 2020 census. The township is located on the Keweenaw Peninsula and also includes the southwestern portion of Isle Royale N ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. His father, Ernest R. Gaujot, a French-born mining engineer, emigrated to Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, where he met and married Susan Ellen McGuigan. The family subsequently relocated to Michigan, then lived for a while in Ontario, Canada, before moving to Lynchburg, Virginia. Ernest Gaujot had traveled to

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

in 1877 to serve as general superintendent of mines. He solved some significant problems while in Japan, for which the

Mikado Mikado may refer to: * Emperor of Japan or Arts and entertainment * ''The Mikado'', an 1885 comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan * ''The Mikado'' (1939 film), an adaptation of the opera, directed by Victor Schertzinger * ''The Mikado'' (1967 f ...

reportedly conferred on him the honorary title of "general". In 1894, the family moved to what the following year would become

Mingo County, West Virginia Mingo County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,568. Its county seat and largest city is Williamson. Created in 1895, Mingo is West Virginia's newest county, named for the historic Iroq ...

, at a time of rapid expansion of coal mining operations in the region. Ernest Gaujot was resident engineer for the Koontz Brothers of New York City, whose mineral holdings in Mingo County were consolidated under the name United Thacker Coal Company. Antoine A.M. Gaujot, also called "Tony", attended

Virginia Polytechnic Institute Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

(VPI) in 1896 and 1897 but did not graduate. A

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...

by profession, he obtained the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Infantry Reserve.

Military career

Antoine Gaujot received the

for actions on December 19, 1899, as a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

corporal at the

Battle of Paye The Battle of Paye was a battle during the Philippine–American War between the United States and the Philippines. It was fought on January 31, 1900, at Sitio Paye near Barangay Balimbing in the town of Boac, Marinduque , officially the ...

near Mateo during the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...

. He made persistent effort under heavy enemy rifle fire to retrieve a canoe from the opposite shore in order to help his unit cross the swollen river to attack the enemy; Gaujot was unsuccessful in his mission and did not bring back a canoe. Antoine's medal was issued February 15, 1911, and sent to him by registered mail (a common procedure at that time). He was later commissioned in the

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

and saw service during the Mexican Border Crisis and in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Tony was mustered out along with his brother and the rest of 2d West Virginia Volunteers on April 10, 1899. He died on April 14, 1936, in

Williamson, West Virginia Williamson is a city in Mingo County, West Virginia, United States, situated along the Tug Fork River. The population was 3,191 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Mingo County, and is the county's largest and most populous city. Willia ...

. Records at Virginia Tech indicate that Antoine was murdered by Julien's son.

Court martial

Although eventually ruled an accidental death Tony was tried by court martial for killing a soldier of the regiment at Camp Wetherhill. An undated manuscript handwritten statement, apparently written by the regimental adjutant, initially charged Tony with a violation of the 62d Article of War. "Murder, to the prejudice of good order and Military discipline." The document alleged that, around 6 p.m. on November 29, 1898, Tony, "in attempting to arrest Private Frank Scurlock... secure from the tent of his Captain without the Captain's Knowledge ic a revolver, and going to the tent wherein the said Private Frank Scurlock was, shoot him with the said revolver, in the neck," thereby causing his death. A typed document changed the charge to "Murder, in violation of the 58th Article of War," and charged that Tony "feloniously and with malice aforethought" shot and murdered Scurlock "by firing... a bullet from a revolver," inflicting "a mortal wound" from which "Scurlock languished and on the 5th day of December 1898, died." Tony was tried by a

general court martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

at Camp Wetherhill but was acquitted of the charge. He was released from confinement and returned to duty on February 2, 1899. He was also repromoted to first sergeant, having been reduced in grade to duty sergeant on January 1. Within a week, Tony requested a 15-day furlough "for the purpose of visiting my parents at Williamson..." First Lt. Charles W. Cramer, acting commander of Company K, forwarded the request to the divisional adjutant, "approved." Cramer noted that Tony had "just been released from a confinement of 60 days duration for the killing of Private Scurlock of which he was acquitted by a General Court Martial...." Approval was warranted because, "The killing of Private Scurlock has greatly worried the mother of Sergeant Gaujot who is in very delicate health and she has written me a number of times asking me to procure him a furlough as soon as he was released."

Military awards

LTC Gaujot's military awards include the following - *

Philippine Campaign Medal The Philippine Campaign Medal is a medal of the United States Armed Forces which was created to denote service of U.S. military men in the Philippine–American War between the years of 1899 and 1913. Although a single service medal, the Philippin ...

* World War I Victory Medal *

Mexican Border Service Medal The Mexican Border Service Medal was a U.S. service medal established by an Act of Congress on July 9, 1918. It was awarded for service between May 9, 1916 and March 24, 1917, or with the Mexican Border Patrol between January 1, 1916 to April ...

Medal of Honor citation

General Orders: Date of Issue: February 15, 1899 "The

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in the name of The Congress takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to for service as set forth in the following CITATION:

For most distinguished gallantry on 19 December 1899, while serving with Company M, 27th Infantry, U.S. Volunteers, in action at San Mateo, Philippine Islands. Corporal Gaujot attempted under a heavy fire of the enemy to swim a river for the purpose of obtaining and returning with a canoe.

/S/

WILLIAM MCKINLEY William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...

Notes

References

* *Virginia Tech Guidon, 2003 (Cadet Training Manual) * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaujot, Antoine A.M. United States Army Medal of Honor recipients American people of French descent Virginia Tech alumni United States Army soldiers National Guard (United States) officers 1878 births 1936 deaths People from Keweenaw County, Michigan People from Williamson, West Virginia Military personnel from Michigan American military personnel of the Philippine–American War Military personnel from West Virginia Philippine–American War recipients of the Medal of Honor